Born in 1958 in İstanbul. Lives and works in Istanbul.
The retrospective exhibition of Alparslan Baloğlu, who has made significant contributions to the conceptual art of Turkey since the 70s and produced works beyond its time, is meeting with the audience at the Museum of Troy, covering works from different periods of his 45-year career. Curator Azra Tüzünoğlu brought together his rarely or never seen works as a result of a detailed research on the artist's life and practice. The exhibition, which aims to make visible the artist initiatives and creative projects initiated by artists from the 70s and 80s, which are considered to be milestones of the period, as well as the artist's own practice, wishes to make a contribution to the memory of Turkish art history.
Alparslan Baloğlu Retrospective, is a result of Tüzünoğlu's meticulous research on works and documents of the artist's own archive, of his close friends such as Serhat Kiraz and Ahmet Öktem and of corporate digital archives such as SALT Research, as well as master's and doctoral dissertations, is also a first in both Baloğlu’s carier and the art history of Turkey.
Curator: Azra Tüzünoğlu
The fall of the city of Troy heralded the birth of a legend.
No ancient Greek myth was as influential as the Trojan War. After 10 years of hard fighting, the Greeks won and destroyed the city. Even though the war was won, everyone suffered. A history in which neither the Trojans nor the Greeks prevailed, perhaps both were equally righteous and heroic, was carried to the present day through the mouth of a blind storyteller. Countless artists have made this story the subject of their works; sculptures, paintings, vases and even operas have been written. The Trojan War has had a long history that continues beyond antiquity, and this exhibition reflects Alparslan Baloğlu's fresh look at Troy from today.
Troy is not just a place we create in our imagination; it is a real city. Since the 19th century, it has been excavated and continues to be excavated to this day. On the other side, there is a war that was fought for love or to dominate the seas. Between myth and reality, Baloğlu reinterprets Troy with questions and possibilities from today.
Starting from Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, the legend of Troy has traveled from word of mouth to word of mouth until today. This story (epic) or fact has also formed archetypes of human character and experience. But how much do we know about history beyond the mythological Troy? Baloğlu's aim is not to document history, of course. In 21st century Turkey, he wants to claim the legacy of this narrative-city that exists within its borders and to renew our horizons and perspectives with questions. The horses of Troy, the vast seas around it, as well as what a city under siege ate and drank, how it buried its dead, and how it conducted its trade are just a few of the things they are curious about. It is known that in the middle of the Trojan War, a pandemic reigned as it does today and people were ravaged by disease. Although biology/medicine/technology is quite advanced today, we have witnessed days when the world stopped. The pandemic also seeps into Baloğlu's exhibition and the commonalities between these pauses are explored.
The 'Trojan Horse' is a common term in political terminology and is defined as a person or thing that aims to weaken or secretly overthrow an enemy or opponent. Next to the archaeological remains/artifacts in the Troy Museum, the hoofprints of the Trojan horses whisper the secrets of the most profound story created by humanity and who knows, maybe the secrets of reality and our subconscious. The waters carried from 4 seas shine like a mirror reflecting Helen's beauty. The centuries-old angry laughter of Zeus mingles with the thunderous greeting of Tesla lightning.
Curator: Azra Tüzünoğlu
